Makes a top notch brew (Philips Senseo)

Name: krispy

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Product:	Philips Senseo
Date:	24/12/05 (1700 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great coffee every time

Disadvantages: Refills can be a bit pricey

I am a lover of proper coffee I don't really like freeze dried although if forced (dying of thirst and there is nothing else) I will drink it. However my wife decided she was going to get me a present that I would really appreciate for my last birthday, she is quite clever at things like that. How she came upon the idea of one of these I shall never know, but what a great idea it was.

The principle of these machines is very simple, the coffee comes in pods, (like tea bags) so it works more or less exactly like your run of the mill percolator, in principle that is. The great thing going for it in my humble opinion is mainly that you don't have to constantly clean it. There are no separate filters to buy and you don't end up with coffee powder everywhere. This is beside the fact that you get a much superior tasting coffee at the end of the whole process with a nice creamy head. Plus you don't have to bother with all that measuring out how much coffee to use, waiting ages for it to boil and pour through into a giant glass jug (which by the way cost a small fortune to replace if broken) The concept is geniously brilliant and I don't know why it wasn't thought of sooner.

How Does It Work
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The machine comes supplied with two removable pod holders, one fits one pod and will make one small cup of coffee. The other holds two pod so you can make two at the same time or one big cup, which I myself prefer. Once you have placed your pod/pod's into the holder you simply place them in the slot at the top and close the lid locking it down with the top lever. This provides an air tight lock, you then make sure the water tank at the back has ample water to dispense the coffee. If you have not the start button on the front will flash rapidly to let you know it needs topping up, this is a simple painless task. Once you have got to this point simply press the start button and it rapidly boils enough water to provide two cups of coffee, this is even if you require only one. The whole boiling process takes around 30 seconds and no more, so there is no waiting around for ages just press and go. Once the start button has stopped flashing it is ready to go, you then simply press the 1 or 2 cup button. These are located either side of the start button and indicated by little pictures of one cup and the other a picture of two cups.

Once you have done this it springs into action, inside the airtight lock hot water is steamed through the pod and forced out through sheer pressure and through a small hole in the pod holder. This then pours out of the nozzle on the front of the machine and down into your awaiting cup. Don't worry if you spill any though as there is a built in drip tray that you place your mug onto to avoid any sticky mess. Hey presto you have yourself a blooming gorgeous cup of fresh coffee, just as if you had gone to a really posh cafe. Believe me it smells the same and tastes the same in some cases it even tastes better, but the aroma oh the aroma....gorgeous.

Pod And Refill Information
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The pods come in different strengths and taste sensations, the main ones being medium roast, dark roast and decaffeinated. These come in packs of 18 pods and cost £2.29 per pack at Tesco's although other supermarkets may vary but it should be about the same. There are a few other flavoured ones such as Sydney blend (with a hint of lime) and my favourite Vienna (with a hint of hazelnut) These only come in packs of 10 and cost around £2.00. The range does seem to be slowly but surely expanding, I am sure it won't be long before there are so many to choose from that you won't know which to try next. So overall I suppose they are quite expensive as you can only use a pod once, but the difference in quality and taste is worth it ten fold. I tend to go through around two of the 18 pack dark roast and a pack of Vienna per week, but I do adore my senseo coffee. I believe you can also purchase tea pods for the machine too although I haven't seen any to buy as of yet at my local supermarket. Although should I come across them I shall let you know.

Available Extras
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I have added this section as recently available on ebay I have found that you can buy reusable pods. I did actually purchase a pack to try as I was slightly intrigued as to how it would work. The idea is that you have a pod shaped holder with a removable lid and you simply put your filter coffee into there and fasten the lid on and place it in the machine like a normal pod. I found that 1/ it wasn't as nice as the pods and 2/ they kept blocking up my machine so I did away with them as they only cost£2.50 on a buy it now. I would steer clear from these personally it may sound like a good idea but in practise not nearly as nice as the pods. Although there are a few different makers of the reusable pods, so maybe I was just unlucky and didn't get one of the better ones. Although I like the pods too much to try and find out, if you do please let me know on this matter.
You can also actually buy specially designed senseo cups with the enseo emblem embossed on them. I somehow feel this is a waste of money although they do look quite smart it's just a cup at the end of the day. It doesn't affect the flavour of the coffee or the sheer enjoyment drinking it.

General Maintenance/Ease Of Cleaning
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

There is no real daily maintenance required with this machine, what you see is definitely what you get. There are no fiddly parts that need removing every time you use it, just give it the odd wipe down from time to time and empty the drip tray every so often. Though if you do spill any you need shooting for you must savour every drop of it's golden nectar. Obviously you will need to swill out the pod holders when you have used them, but how hard is it to quickly run it under a warm tap?
Apart from that there is nothing else required but to sit back relax and let the machine do the work for you.

My Overall Opinion
+++++++++++++++

Ok then so she is a little on the pricey side to run, when compared to run of the mill freeze dried, but so well worth it too. The machine will set you back around £38.99 as I checked on kelkoo, but you do usually get a free pack of medium roast pods with your new machine. I just don't know how I got by before I owned this little piece of kitchen brilliance. So overall yes maybe the refills are a little pricey and there isn't yet a massive range of flavours to choose from. But what more do you need other than coffee flavour, and as for the price well.....You get what you pay for in this life and perfection always comes with a slightly higher tag.

Summary: You get what you pay for in this life and perfection always comes with a slightly higher tag.

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